Board of Selectmen, September 8, 2015
HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
6:35 PM Senior Center
Present: Chairman Jeremy Kurtz, Anthony Renzoni, Robert Lavigne, Kenneth O’Brien, Tim Ethier
Others Present: Jacquelyn Kelly, Town Manager
Peter Lukes, Assistant Town Manager
Liz Fotos, Recording Secretary
Chairman Kurtz called the meeting to order at 6:35 PM. The Board stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Appointments, Licenses, Permits
Motion by Sel. Renzoni seconded by Sel. Lavigne, it was, UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE KIMBERLEE HUGHES AND CRYSTAL CARON ON BEHALF OF HOLDEN CHRISTIAN ACADEMNY FOR A PARADE PERMIT ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 3, 2015 FROM 8:00AM TO 11:00AM.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni seconded by Sel. O’Brien, it was, UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE KATHARINE MILLS ON BEHALF OF HOLDEN CROP HUNGER WALK FOR A PARADE PERMIT ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 18, 2015 FROM 1:00PM TO 4:30PM CONTINGENT UPON THE APPROVAL OF BOTH THE FIRE AND POLICE CHIEFS.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni seconded by Sel. Lavigne it was, UNANIMOSLY VOTED TO APPROVE CHRISTINA SODERMAN ON BEHALF OF DAVIS HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA FOR A PARADE PERMIT ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 18, 2015 FROM 12:00PM TO 1:30PM WITH THE HOLDEN POLICE DEPARTMENT FURNISHING 1 OFFICER FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL WITH A CRUISER.
- Recognition of Holden Little League Team and Coaches
Chairman Kurtz welcomed the Holden Little League 11 and 12 year olds to the Selectmen meeting; the whole team approached the podium to speak.
Coach Sean Xenos thanked the Board for having the team to the meeting. He stated that the team had a great run and that he couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids. He said that the kids played at the highest level and played their hearts out.
Assistant Coach Jon Delongchamp thanked the Board and said that he couldn’t say enough about this group of kids. He stated that they respected the opponents, umps, each other, the coaches and the game. Coach Delongchamp said that they are supremely talented and he loved every minute of every practice.
Assistant Coach Bill Johnson stated that Holden Baseball is strong and he thanked the kids for a great season and the Selectmen for having them.
Sel. Renzoni asked the team what their record was.
Coach Xenos replied 10-1 and they were 10-0 before the championship game.
The Selectmen asked each member of the team what their favorite moment of the season was. Many of the boys sited beating Burkett as their favorite moment, other favorite moments included a grand slam walk off homerun, being on the bus with their friends, and winning the games.
The 2015 Holden Little League Team: Jack Flynn, Drew Caputi, Brady Johnson, Andy Gardner, Luke Feraco, Matt Alzamora, Luke Delongchamp, Matt Verrier, Josh Keevans, Hayden Lloyd, Noah Pinns, Carson Perry, and Trevor Xenos.
Coach Xenos stated that the District win over Burkett was very special.
Sel. Lavigne congratulated the boys for their win. He stated it was a testament to all the players this year and years in the past and that the Holden Baseball Organization is a great one.
Sel. O’Brien thanked the adult leaders in the Little League and stated that they foster the excellence in the program. He told the public that the team and the coaches received a Certificate of Recognition and he read the certificate out loud and told the team that the Town was proud of them and their accomplishments.
The Board stood to congratulate the coaches and the team and they paused for a picture with the team and coaches.
- Red Barn Association
Sel. Renzoni stated that the Board had asked the Friends of the Red Barn to come back to a Selectmen meeting in order for them to tell everyone about their organization and how they contribute to the community.
Connie Hamilton from Red Barn, President of Friends of the Red Barn was present along with George Hamilton, Susan Ceccacci, and Holly Highlander.
C. Hamilton stated that Friends of Red Barn is a charitable organization on Shrewsbury Street in Holden. She stated that this year was the 15 year anniversary and that its purpose was to preserve the barn and maintain the surrounding area. C. Hamilton told the Board that the organization has 7 acres of land, and the property is maintained by 12 volunteer Board members.
S. Ceccacci stated that before the Friends of the Red Barn owned it, the property belonged to WPI and was sold to Blair Developers in Rutland. Initially Blair Developers wanted to demolish the barn and turn the land into a subdivision. The Planning Board worked with Blair Developers on a cluster subdivision instead of a regular subdivision and ultimately Blair gave the property to the Friends of the Red Barn along with a very generous fund for maintenance. The Friends made improvements to the Barn including cleaning it out, painting, and reglazing the windows.
S. Ceccacci stated that once some of the maintenance was completed, the Red Barn began programs such as Farm Days, small events that showed early crafts, farm activities, gardening and other events. She stated that an Eagle Scout project was also completed by Parker Callahan to show historical markers on the property.
S. Ceccacci stated that they believe that it is important to preserve the Barn as one of the few surviving bits of agriculture in that neighborhood and that without a physical reminder, history is often forgotten. She stated that one role we have is to maintain our history and how we interact with the Earth.
George Hamilton stated that he was the property manager of the farm and that maintaining the barn is quite a strain. He stated that they have 9 garden plots that are mostly vegetable gardens and that they provide gardening classes and other events at the location. He stated that the barn does have music and a brick oven in addition to other activities and that they are free except for donations. G. Hamilton stated that they were looking for volunteers to help maintain the grounds so if anyone was interested and wanted to plant, trim bushes, mow, or anything else to please reach out and they would be happy to have them aboard.
G. Hamilton stated that the membership was down and that interested people could find Friends of Red Barn on Facebook, on line at redbarnholden.org or by telephone, in addition to membership envelopes that were available at the Selectmen meeting.
Holly Highlander thanked the Board for having them out. She thanked the participants and the musicians for a wonderful season and stated that at the last concert, they had over 40 people present. She stated that the organization needed more hands and that she wanted to do the free concerts as a way to bring awareness to the Red Barn. H. Highlander thanked everyone who participated.
Sel. O’Brien thanked the Red Barn members for coming out and brining awareness to the public; and thanked them for providing flowers for Town Hall.
- Citizens Address
Chairman Kurtz opened the floor for Citizens Address; no citizens took the podium. Chairman Kurtz closed citizens’ address.
- Town Managers Update
- Reserves Policy: The working group consisting of Finance Committee Members, Selectmen, and the Town Manager met regarding a Financial Reserves Policy last week on August 25, 2015. We will be scheduling another meeting in September to continue this project
- 100 Safest Cities-Safewise, a Nation-wide home security system company has published a list of the one-hundred “safest” cities in the U. S. Holden is among the top one-hundred, ranking sixty-seventh. The website is: http://www.safeiws.com/safest-cities-america
- End of Year Revenue and Expenditure Reports: Ms. Kelly attached the Revenue and Expenditure Reports for the period ending June 2015 for the Board to review.
- DPW Monthly Report, July 2015: Ms. Kelly enclosed Director Woodsmall’s monthly report on DPW activities for the month of July 2015.
Ms. Kelly stated that the contractor will be coming back to do a binder coat on Shrewsbury Street and the same contractor will finish upon Putnam Road and parts of Winterhill Lane.
Sel. Renzoni asked for a final report from the Water/ Sewer Superintendent.
Ms. Kelly replied that report was usually a separate one. Sel. Renzoni stated that they were not closed out yet because it did not account for the carry over. He asked Ms. Kelly for a copy of that report when it was available.
Sel. O’Brien stated that he wanted to mention the retirement of Jack Cross. He will be retiring from DPW and Sel. O’Brien stated that the Town was lucky to have him working for them and that he would be missed.
Ms. Kelly agreed and stated that he is a key part of the DPW and the Fire Department and he has done a fabulous job.
e) River Street/ Harris Street Bridge: The MA Department of Transportation is currently bidding out the contract for replacing the River Street Bridge, near Harris Street. In preparation for this work, our Light Department will be moving or replacing utilities to accommodate for the work. Once work begins next year, traffic will be detoured for the duration of the project.
Ms. Kelly also added that the Selectmen had not met since Holden Days and she wanted to acknowledge the Chamber of Commerce for their work. She stated that it was a great day with many people and booths. Ms. Kelly thanked the Chamber.
Ms. Kelly also announced the retirement of the Director of Growth Management, Dennis Lipka effective October 5, 2015. Ms. Kelly stated that Mr. Lipka had been with the Town for many years and had led the Growth Management team through many capital projects.
Police Chief Armstrong was present at the meeting. He commended Officer Tom Walsh, on duty Animal Control and past paramedic. Chief Armstrong stated that Officer Walsh took it upon himself to access a situation, look at an individual in Town, and know that something was not right. Chief Armstrong said that the individual was a homeless person in Town and Officer Walsh administered first aid until the paramedics arrived.
Chief Armstrong commended Officer Walsh for lending a hand and said that he (Officer Walsh) was what was right in town and that the town was proud of him for all he does.
Chairman Kurtz asked Police Chief Armstrong to congratulate Officer Walsh on behalf of the Board.
- Selectmen Subcommittees
Sel. O’Brien stated that the Light / Power Committee had not met.
Sel. Ethier stated that Ag Com had met a week and a half ago and that he found the meeting very interesting. He stated that at the meeting they had spoken about the Community Garden. Sel. Ethier stated that they had also spoken about the properties on River Street that had been removed from Agricultural protection. He stated that some concern was that a lot of committees are still not responding to them (Ag Com) in a timely manner about these properties. Sel. Ethier stated that they had also spoken about ways to preserve land in town. He stated that Holden is getting built out and that there should be a way to preserve some of the land. Sel. Ethier said that Ag Com discussed the Community Preservation Act as a means of collecting money so that if land comes up there are funds available to purchase it. Ag Com discussed ways in which to earmark tax revenues or assessing a surcharge on the Town for land acquisition.
Sel. Renzoni stated that the VA had met and had taken over responsibility for the Memorial Day Parade. He stated that they had also discussed doing something in town for Veterans Day. He stated that they wanted to work with the Town Managers office to plant a tree for Veterans Day. Sel. Renzoni stated that although the VA was going to be taking over the Memorial Day Parade, they would still like to have members from the Memorial Day Parade Committee help and that the Veterans Advisory Committee would be reaching out to find more volunteers in the future.
Sel. Renzoni stated that he was the liaison to the Water Sewer Advisory Board and that he spoke with the Director about once a month. He said that they are currently driving ahead and that he wanted to see the close our report when it was available
Sel. Lavigne: no updates
Chairman Kurtz: EDC has not met.
- Selectmen Meeting Minutes
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Lavigne, it was VOTED TO APPROVE THE APRIL 27, 2015 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES AS PRESENTED BY A VOTE OF 3-0-2 (Sel. Ethier: abstain).
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was VOTED TO APPROVE THE 6:15 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES ON AUGUST 3, 2015 AS PRESENTED BY A VOTE OF 3-0-2 (Sel. Lavigne: abstain; Sel. O’Brien: abstain).
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Lavigne, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE AUGUST 3, 2015 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES AS PRESENTED.
- Selectmen Miscellaneous
Sel. Lavigne stated that there was a Code Red issued about the Water Main work on St. Mary’s Drive. He asked if it was localized to the area and if there was a time frame for it.
Sel. Lavigne also stated that during Holden Day’s they were asking for ideas as to how to commemorate the 275th Anniversary of the Town; he asked for any ideas to please reach out.
Sel. Lavigne also stated that he had read an article in the Landmark regarding Janet Moore and Bob Martin of Mirrick O’Connell and he wanted to congratulate and show the Boards appreciation for their work.
Sel. Renzoni: none
Sel. Ethier stated that he had come across an article in the Worcester Telegram Gazette about Hurricane Katrina and that that article highlighted work that Sel. Renzoni had done with regards to the relief. Sel. Ethier congratulated Sel. Renzoni for his work and efforts on the disaster relief.
Sel. Ether also congratulated Chief Armstrong on eliminating smoking and requiring officers to stay in shape in the department.
Sel. Ethier also reminded everyone of the Jason Bradshaw 5K that was coming up and hoped that they would have good participation.
Sel. Ethier also stated that the Rutland override vote was schedule for September 16th and that he is hopeful that it will pass. He stated that if it does not, he hopes that the Town can have some serious discussion about how to better Holden Schools using funds for things such as text books, technology, or equipment.
Sel. O’Brien stated that the 9 year old Holden Little Leaguers won the state championship and that the 10 year olds went to state finals as well so he thinks that they should be invited into the Selectmen meeting as well.
Sel. O’Brien also mentioned the upcoming retirement of Jack Cross.
Sel. Kurtz stated that it was almost the time of year that the Board works with the Town Manager regarding her objectives. He stated that he would send out a note looking for availability to finalize the Town Manager’s goals. He stated that he planned on inviting Fin Com to the meeting for observation not participation to see where the Board stands and keep them in the loop.
Next Board of Selectmen Meeting: Monday, September 21, 2015; Memorial Hall
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Lavigne, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN THE SEPTMBER 8, 2015 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING AT 7:37PM.
APPROVED: ____October 5, 2015___________